"From losing their bargaining rights to bearing the brunt of city and state budget cuts, public service employees are watching their entire life savings disappear," Sharpton writes. "And because about 1 in 5 Blacks work in civil service, we are disproportionately suffering yet again during these tough times."

Sharpton cites a study by the Center for Labor Research and Education that showed Blacks were "30% more likely than other works to be unemployed in the public sector."

That puts them on the chopping block far more often than workers in private industries.

While the private sector added more than 1 million jobs in industries like business services, hospitality, health care and mining last month, employment among government workers trended down, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The agency is set to release November's employment rate results on Friday, but if October was any indication, things aren't looking too bright for those in public service.

More than a quarter of U.S. Postal Service workers are black and the organization is teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. Potential layoffs would prove a big blow to the African American community, Sharpton argues, as that industry in particular was one of many keeping middle class workers afloat.

But what's an editorial by Al Sharpton if it doesn't end with a call to action?

Sharpton is organizing a Dec. 9 march in D.C. to call attention to the "growing economic disparity lack of employment, and equality issues" for all minorities in the U.S., he says.